IFS Therapy Los Angeles
IFS-informed therapy in Los Angeles with Cheryl Groskopf, LMFT, LPCC. Helping you reconnect with your authentic Self.
Specialized Treatment for:
Anxiety | Attachment | Trauma
As Featured In:
IFS Therapy in Los Angeles Can Help When "Parts" Of You Feel Conflicted
Ever feel like you’re arguing with yourself all day long?
One part of you wants closeness, another part is scared shitless the second you get it.
You keep the peace at work or in your relationship, but it costs you — your own feelings never even make it to the table.
And then there’s also the voice that tells you to keep going, keep producing, even when you’re running on empty. No wonder you feel pulled in ten directions.
IFS therapy helps you slow down. Instead of fighting with those parts, you get to actually hear them out. Why they’re there. What they’re trying to protect. And once they’re not all talking over each other, you get to feel a little more like whole “Self” again.
IFS Therapy Los Angeles: How to Know if IFS Is Right For You
Does this sound like you?
- You hide parts of yourself because you’re afraid if people really saw you, they might pull away.
- Guilt creeps in the second you try to rest — like there’s always something else you “should” be doing.
- Even when you hit a goal, your brain skips straight to the next problem. There’s no pause button.
- You find yourself saying “sorry” for things that were never yours to carry.
- Deep down, there’s this belief that being lovable means you have to be flawless.
- You catch yourself obsessing over a throwaway comment or tiny slip-up — meanwhile everyone else has already moved on.
- Your own needs? Half the time you don’t even register them until you’re running on empty.
- Decisions feel like a trap. You’ll go back and forth a dozen times and still wonder if you chose wrong.
- Saying no feels impossible, so you pile more and more on your plate.
What is IFS Therapy?
IFS stands for Internal Family Systems, and no, it’s not about your actual family. It’s about the fact that you have a whole inner family of parts inside you. Like different versions of you that all want different things…and usually start fighting at the worst possible time (hi, 3AM spiral).
There’s the part of you that people-pleases.
The part that self-sabotages.
The perfectionist.
The avoider.
The inner child who still thinks they have to earn love to be safe.
IFS is basically walking towards those parts and asking, “What do you need right now?” instead of just yelling at them to shut up.
IFS helps you build a relationship with your parts so you stop abandoning yourself, stop getting hijacked by old protective patterns, and start leading your life from that grounded place.
Want a deeper walkthrough first? Here’s how IFS therapy works (step-by-step).
What an IFS Therapy in Los Session looks Like
Instead of just venting about your week or trying to “think positive,” IFS helps you to slow down and get curious about what’s happening inside when you feel anxious, angry, numb, avoidant—whatever.
What It’s Like to Talk to a “Part”
Let’s say you’re spiraling because someone hasn’t texted you back.
Instead of saying, “Ugh! I’m just being dramatic,” an IFS therapist might say: “Okay…Can we check in with the part of you that’s panicking right now?”
So you close your eyes, tune in, and notice that there’s a freaked-out part that feels like it’s 12 years old, and this part thinks you’re about to be abandoned. IFS helps you connect to that part—not to shame it, but to listen to it. And eventually, that scared part will tell you where it came from, what it’s been trying to protect you from, and what it actually needs from you now.
You’re not trying to get rid of your anxiety or inner critic.
You’re building a relationship with them so they stop running on autopilot.
"Parts Work" Therapy Is Backed by Brain Science
Your brain isn’t one voice. It’s a system of neural networks that kick in depending on what’s happening. When you’re grounded, the front part of your brain (aka the prefrontal cortex) handles things — the steady, thoughtful side of you.
But the second something touches an old wound — criticism, rejection, being ignored — that calm part fades out. Another circuit grabs control. The critic. The fixer. The one that wants to ghost everyone.
IFS helps you catch that moment. You notice, “Oh — that’s a part of me stepping in.” Not the whole me. Just a part that learned to protect me. And the wild thing? When you actually listen to it, instead of trying to shut it up, it usually softens.
IFS Therapist Los Angeles
Meet Cheryl Groskopf, LMFT, LPCC — IFS-Informed Therapist
Hi, I’m Cheryl Groskopf, LMFT, LPCC!
If you feel like you’re constantly struggling with your inner dialogue, where one part of you is telling you to work harder because you’re not “good enough,” yet another part just wants to crawl under a rock—you’re in the right place.
My focus is on helping you untangle those inner conflicts so you can finally feel some damn peace.
IFS therapy helps you acknowledge and understand why these parts of you exist – and getting them to work together.
A Holistic Approach to Meeting Your “Parts”
I specialize in helping high-functioning adults heal from complex trauma, anxious attachment, and burnout using a mix of IFS therapy, somatic therapy, and a deeply holistic approach.
In sessions, we’ll slow down and get curious about why that perfectionist voice gets so loud, or why the self-doubt kicks in right when you actually need confidence most. We’ll track where it shows up in your body, not just in your head.
How IFS Therapy Treats Trauma Without Forcing You to Relive It
Trauma isn’t just what happened to you—it’s how your body and nervous system adapted to survive it. IFS treats trauma by going straight to the source: the parts of you that had to protect you back then, and are still working overtime now, even when you don’t need them to anymore.
IFS Therapy Heals Trauma by Working With the Parts That Lived It
Instead of reliving trauma or pushing through it, IFS helps you meet the parts of you that hold it. Like the one that freezes in conflict. The one that shuts down during sex. The one that says, “I’m fine,” when you’re clearly NOT fine. Those parts aren’t actually trying to hurt you—they’re trying to protect you from something deep, something scared, something younger.
IFS gives you a way to actually talk to those parts and hear their story—without judgment, without forcing anything. It helps you rebuild trust with your own nervous system so those parts can finally relax and let you lead.
Why My Clients Say IFS Therapy in Los Angeles Feels Different
Most of my clients don’t come in asking for IFS. They come in saying things like:
- “I know I'm self-aware. I read every self-help book, but my brain won’t shut up at night.”
- “I swear I wouldn’t date the same type again… but here I am.”
- “Half the time I don’t even know what I’m feeling. Just wiped out.”
- “I don’t even feel connected to myself anymore. I feel like I’m always performing or always have to be ON.”
- “Everything looks fine on the outside, but inside I feel like I’m drowning.”
Ready to Start IFS Therapy in LA?
Not Just Talk Therapy: How IFS Therapy Helps You Heal From the Inside Out
My clients often say they feel something they’ve never felt before in therapy: Relief.
Like their internal world finally makes sense. Like they’re not fighting with themselves anymore.
IFS gives them language and structure for the things they’ve always felt but couldn’t name. And instead of being told to change their behavior or “challenge a thought,” they get to slow down, listen, and actually befriend the parts of themselves they’ve been at war with for years.
What happens? They start to feel more grounded, more connected, and more like themselves. They start showing up in relationships differently. Setting boundaries without guilt. Not abandoning themselves to keep the peace. Actually resting instead of constantly bracing for something bad to happen.
People I Work With in IFS Therapy
I work with high-functioning adults who are intelligent and self-aware – but still stuck in patterns that don’t feel good.
People who are successful on paper—but anxious, overwhelmed, or emotionally burnt out behind the scenes.
People who take care of everyone else, but have no idea how to show up for themselves.
People who say “I’m fine” when they’re anything but.
Most of my clients are:
- People-pleasers who can’t stop scanning the room for what everyone else needs.
- Adults with emotionally immature, narcissistic, or unavailable parents (even the ones that truly meant well)
- Perfectionists who grew up being the “good kid” or the one no one had to worry about.
- Those who feel disconnected from their body, unsure of what they need, and scared to slow down.
- Folks who are great at holding space for others—but feel like a mess inside their own head.
What Clients Say About Working With IFS Therapist Cheryl Groskopf, LMFT, LPCC
What Kind of "Parts" Are There in IFS Therapy?
Managers
These are the parts that try to prevent pain before it happens.
Think: the perfectionist, the people-pleaser, the overthinker, the one who keeps everything “together.”
They work hard to keep you in control and avoid anything that might stir up old hurt.
Exiles
These are the parts that hold the pain. The shame, grief, fear, loneliness—usually from way back when.
They were pushed out of your day-to-day awareness because the system decided they were “too much” at the time.
But they’re still in there, waiting to be seen and healed.
Reach Out—Even If a Part of You Isn’t Sure Yet
Schedule your free 15-minute consultation for internal family systems therapy in Los Angeles. I offer free phone consultations to help you determine if it’s a good fit. I specialize in the treatment of anxiety, healing from trauma, and improving the quality of your relationships with others (and yourself) by utilizing attachment theory.
FAQ on Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy Los Angeles
What exactly is IFS therapy?
It’s short for Internal Family Systems. Think of it like noticing all the different parts inside of you — the overachiever, the critic, the avoider, the one that still feels twelve. IFS gives those parts a voice instead of pushing them away. When you start listening, they usually stop running the show, and that’s when people begin to feel steadier and more connected to themselves.
Can IFS therapy help with anxiety?
Yes. Anxiety is often one part working overtime to keep you safe. In IFS, we slow down and meet that part instead of trying to silence it. Once it doesn’t have to stay on high alert all the time, most people notice they can finally breathe a little easier.
Do I have to talk about trauma the whole time?
No. Some people never share the full story at all. The work is more about what your body remembers and what your parts are still holding onto. Sometimes that looks like talking, sometimes it looks like just paying attention to what shifts in your system while we’re together.
Is IFS therapy backed by science?
Yes — there are outcome studies showing IFS helps with PTSD, depression, and anxiety. If you want the research, the IFS Institute has a whole page of it. But honestly, most people know it’s working because they feel different in their daily life — less reactive, less hijacked by old patterns.
What’s it like to work with you?
Honestly, I’m not the therapist who just nods and sends you home with worksheets. I notice things. If your shoulders tense or your voice shifts, I’ll probably say something. Most of the people I work with look fine to everyone else but feel worn out inside. Our sessions aren’t about performing or pushing — they’re about slowing down enough so you can finally hear yourself without judgment.
How do I get started with IFS therapy?
The first step is a free 15-minute consult. You’ll get a feel for me, I’ll answer your questions, and you can decide if it feels like a fit. If you’re ready, you can reach out here.
IFS Therapy in Los Angeles
Cheryl Groskopf, LMFT, LPCC
Los Angeles, CA (online therapy available anywhere in California)
Hours: Mon–Thur by appointment
Contact: Schedule a free consultation
